Surviving the Holiday Season...

The holiday season is upon us and "surviving" the holidays can mean so many things, for me this means enjoying the festivities, without sacrifice and keeping my health goals in mind. Life has been stressful and busy, so I plan to enjoy holiday celebrations without feeling like I am sacrificing, but I am going to be smart about my choices and plan my days to allow for a bit of indulgence without guilt!  
The invitations for get togethers are starting up. This means lots of eating and more drinking than usual - which equals WEIGHT GAIN. This year I am heading into the holiday season with a plan to maintain my weight - not gain. My plan is simple. First off - exercise a minimum of 5 days a week, especially on the days I plan to partake in "festivities". I will do a cardio workout a minimum on 3 days per week and Pilate's daily - either matwork or reformer depending on availability. 
Second, I will keep up on my nutrition goals. Eating clean - healthy, fresh food and small meals spread out throughout the day. On the days I have plans to celebrate the season, I will be more mindful of my choices - limit my sugar and carbs, drink more water and have a healthy snack before I leave the house so that I do not arrive at the party with an empty stomach. Also, (don't tell Kayla) I plan to add or alter my recipes to be healthier. It is so hard to ignore the cookie jar full of fresh cookie. I will feel no guilt knowing I am getting health benefits from the treats!
Thirdly, NO JUDGEMENT! The key for me is being reasonable on my expectations.  If I set up a plan I cannot live up to and fail - I will be much harder on myself and more apt to give up on the plan entirely. We are all so hard on ourselves, much harder than we should be. The holidays are about enjoying time with friends and family, so allow yourself to enjoy. January was created for resolutions, put off your weight loss expectations until then. Don't focus on the "cheats", rather the things you are doing that are good for your body and enjoy yourself. Laughter and happiness are so good for your over all health. Keep your expectations for yourself simple and easy to follow. Be mindful of what you are putting in your mouth and resist the temptation to hibernate, be as active as you can. 
This is all easier said than done...but having a plan/strategy will definitely help. I hope you will all "survive" the holiday season with me. I will do my best to keep you posted on my progress!

Family movie night on a Tuesday? Why not?

As I stated in my last post - life is busy and stressful right now. This is the stage of life we are in. Kids with activities, demanding careers, never ending "to do" lists and just plain life stuff. It is hard to fit in time for yourself and at times your family suffers by you trying to be a super-woman, trying to do "it" all!

I took some me time on the weekend and went shopping with my girls friends. 2 nights in the US, 10 hours straight walking on Saturday (did not feel guilty having fries) lots of laughing and tons of venting. It was great and much needed. We got back later than planned on Sunday night - Isabel had wanted to snuggle and watch a movie when I got home. But I was too late for that, so I committed to a Tuesday night movie night (if she got her homework done in time).

Isabel was so excited. Troy and Kayla joined us. I cannot remember the last time we all sat on the couch and watched a movie together. We had popcorn, a bit of chocolate and we all snuggled under blankets on the couch. Even Nico our golden retriever joined in the snuggle party. What a fun night!! Isabel was up a bit later than usual, but so worth it!

Despite the late night, Isabel woke up with the same amount of coxing as usual and was in good spirits. On the drive into school she asked is we could have movie night every Tuesday. So easy and obviously meant a lot. We get so caught up in the need to's that we forget about the want to's. Our house has been caught in a vortex of stress, always on the go, brining home the stress of our day and forgetting the need to slow down. 

Continuing with my current life themes: control the things you can, don't fret the things you can't and when life gets busy, stick to the basics!

When life is crazy, stick to the basics!

First off - have to say thank you to everyone who has run into me over the last couple of weeks and have started the conversation "you look great, how is it [my journey] going?". It is comments like that, that really keep me going. Lately I've not been feeling good about my progress, which is why I haven't written in a while.

I have not been making the time to exercise.  Part because life has been busy and stressful, which leads to just not wanting to do it and part is choosing to spend my free moments with my family. I am struggling with finding time in my day to fit it in. If it is not scheduled and I don't have someone expecting me, I won't do it. Plan and simple. I have to figure out a way to motivate my self and make it happen.

So I was starting to get down on myself for not making it a priority, not putting more of an effort into exercising. Then I looked down and I can't see my stomach anymore. I used to look like I was 6 month pregnant. My stomach isn't flat, but it's not protruding like it used to.  People are still commenting - that I am looking good. My clothes are still fitting better. I'm in a bit of a rut with not exercising, but I'm not gaining weight and I would even say I am still trimming. Why is that? ... My diet!

I'm still making healthy choices, making my shakes in the morning, taking time during the day to get in my healthy snacks and right now that is working without effort. I really hadn't even thought about it. It is really amazing how much of an impact eating well has on your weight. It's simple, it's basic and easy to do.

We are so hard on ourselves. We want to be Wonder Woman (or appear to be) and do it all, effortlessly. There are days when I feel like I can't do anything right, that I'm not great at anything I do because I need to be ok at so many things. UGH - so much pressure we put on ourselves. 

I think it's time for a weekend away with the girlfriends. Recharge the batteries and talk about all of our failures and remember I'm not alone. Every mom is in the same boat - working at home or out of the house. It's not easy,  however anything that is not easy seems to provide the greatest rewards!

My New Mantra - Focus on the things you can control

I am starting to look back on my life experiences and was feeling a bit old when I heard myself say "if only I knew then what I know now." There is so much in our lives we cannot control. I could put myself in the looney bin trying to (my apologies if that offends - going for comedic effect). So I've adopted a new mantra and it is really helping! I'm focusing on the things I can control. Making sure my girls and husband know they are loved, making time to take care of myself, getting my life organized and in order. Last week I cleaned out 2 of my kitchen cupboards. It was so therapeutic. Clearing the clutter seemed to help clear my mind as well. 

Love this quote:

“We have a right to decide how we want our bodies to look and feel, but unfortunately we do not exercise these rights. Instead, we tend to drift along, victims of our own ignorance of the fact that we can have what we want, if we are willing to take that first step toward developing the self-discipline to govern our thoughts.”
― Holly Mosier

Back to Focusing on my Diet

My energy has been low, PMS was the worst is has been in months and my food baby is starting to show again! No excuses, I know how to solve this problem and it is simple - no more bagels from Tim Horton's and start eating clean again!


Yesterday I decided to try making the 

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats I posted on my recipe page a few months ago. I had not attempted making them until this weekend. Stacey did warn me that they are a lot of work - but I was not expecting this. 3 pots on the stove, slow cooker was started at noon with the chicken. Oven finishes off the dish and the rice cooker was also going. Without counting the 5 hours to make the shredded chicken, this meal took me an hour to make. The good thing about the labour put in to make this dish is that with 3 burners on and the oven pre-heating I sweated out 5 lbs! Kayla and Troy both said they liked this dish and would eat it again. Next time I make this I would do it with left overs, so I don't feel like I'm cooking all day.

It's another Monday and I am getting back on track with my goals. This morning I made my shake filled with all of the nutrients and supplements I need. I brought snacks to keep me energized throughout the day and will be heading to the gym before my class tonight to get in my workout. Breaking old habits and sticking to my MONDAY plan!

Diet Definitely Helps with PMS!!

It is so nice how many people are interested in how I am progressing with my goals! Lately my answer to everyone has been that I am in a valley right now. I've deviated a bit from my nutritional goals - as we all do when we get stressed. I'm not eating horribly - but I have not been taking my supplements or making my shakes in the morning. I got out of the habit at the end of August and am realizing how much it was helping me! The supplements and the Shake I was making every morning were really helping with my PMS symptoms. The pain in between periods is bad again and I had not realized how all of the other symptoms that come along with our monthly gift had improved. 

So, the good thing about this set back... valley...or deviation from my plan is that it is actually motivating me. Reminding me of how good I was feeling, and now I know how to get back there! Silver lining found! 

Don't fret the set backs, learn from them!

What is healthy?

I was watching Eat Pray Love on the weekend and thinking I wish I could go to Bali, make friends with a wise medicine man and find my inner peace - the life balance I have been working towards over the past 4 months. I know I've written about this before, but it keeps coming up. There is so much more to being healthy than eating well and exercising. Your mind and inner wellbeing plays such an important roll in your over all health. 

My life has been out of balance for a while, a long while and I think it has caught up with me. I cannot go into great detail about what is/has been throwing off my balance because I do not think it is appropriate (at least at this point) to go into detail. However, I can guarantee that I am not the only person who has gone through this or a similar situation. 

There is no such thing as an easy life. Happiness, good health and Love (with a capitol 'L') all take commitment and  work. It took Julia Roberts 3 country's to find her inner peace.  I wonder if I can find mine in one?